Please welcome USA TODAY bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti to the virtual offices today. Rebecca is here to chat about her latest release Against the Wall, and she brought along presents for one of you to win!

(And yes, I had to get on twitter just to make sure I was within the 140 characters…)

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Against the Wall?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Sure! Against the Wall is the first book in the Maverick Montana series, and it features sexy cowboy-lawyer Jake Lodge, whose job it is to shut down spunky golf course designer Sophie Smith’s high-end golf-course development. He’s a savvy country-boy, and she’s a brilliant city girl. There’s tension in the boardroom, in the courtroom, and definitely in the bedroom!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Actually, as a lawyer, I worked as a hearing examiner for our county and heard cases about developments. At the hearings, the applicants, opposition, and public would all testify, and then I’d submit my recommendation to the county commissioners on whether or not the application should be passed. So, it seemed like a great place for some tension and romance…and that’s how the story began.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Sophie?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Artistic, spunky, and lost

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Jack had a theme song, what would it be?

[Rebecca Zanetti] You Look Good in My Shirt, by Keith Urban

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Sophie is never without.

[Rebecca Zanetti] Colored pencils – she loves to draw.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Jack’s bedroom?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Hmmm. This is a tough one. Well, hmmm. I’d have to go with magic crystals, a trophy head of any animal, and yoga DVDs.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Sophie’s greatest regret?

[Rebecca Zanetti] I don’t think Sophie’s a gal who believes in regrets.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Definitely my family. They’re many, and fun, and they give me so many darn ideas for books!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Rebecca Zanetti] I need my computer, comfy socks, music, a warm area, and either coffee ,wine, or water. It sounds like a lot…but it works out usually. ?

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Rebecca Zanetti] There are two books I read lately that just hit it out of the park for me. The first is The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca – and I love lost love stories…especially featuring sexy marines. I love soldiers, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Jennifer’s. The other book is Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert, which I picked up last week because it was getting such great buzz and reviews…and I loved it! The hero is beyond sexy, and I just fell in love with him.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Rebecca Zanetti] When I was in early high-school, I snuck into my mom’s romance stash and read all of the MacGregor books by Nora Roberts. I was hooked for life at that point.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Rebecca Zanetti] Not writing? What’s that? LOL. Just kidding. Well, I have two very active kids, and a very active husband, so I spend a lot of time at sports events! We also have a huge family, so there are plenty of family events going on all the time, too. Life is good. ?

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Rebecca Zanetti] I love it when readers find me! I can be reached on my website or through social media. The links are beneath my bio below. I’d love to give away an AGAINST THE WALL mug and spiral notebook for a randomly chosen commenter here. Let me ask you this: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Thanks again for having me over!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Rebecca is offering up an Against the Wall coffee mug and spiral notebook! One lucky commenter will win.

Entering is easy! Just answer Rebecca’s question -

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Giveaway ends 5/20/2013

Didn’t win? You can order Against the Wall from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the link below:

About the book:

Never challenge a cowboy in the courtroom…

Surveying the proposed site for a high-end golf course should have been a breeze for spunky Landscape Architect Sophie Smith. But when this born-and-bred city girl is suddenly—and quite literally—swept off her feet by a sexy cowboy on horseback, she realizes that the country life has some serious (and seriously steamy!) possibilities. That is, until she finds out exactly who her smokin’-hot wrangler really is.

Cowboy and Tribal lawyer Jake Lodge is desperately trying to block the development. And if that means playing hardball—and being every inch the shark lawyer—so be it. But Sophie is a distraction he didn’t expect. A distraction that makes his blood burn.

Two different worlds. Two opposing sides. And when they finally give into the exquisite temptation, the consequences will shake the foundations of both of their lives…

About the Author: USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and sexy contemporary romances.

Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day–or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.

I am geeked to participate in the cover reveal for Cindi Madsen’s Act Like You Love Me. I think the cover is so cute, and it fits well with the Bliss line. I can hardly wait to read this one. What do you think of this cover?

About the book:

All’s fair in acting and amore…

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novelsAll the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, bestselling short romance Falling for Her Fiancé and the women’s fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

ACT LIKE YOU LOVE ME excerpt:

“Cut, cut cut!” Sawyer stood. “Was that supposed to be more passionate? Because it sucked.”

“This is supposed to be the eighteen hundreds,” Brynn said. “It can’t be too passionate or it would seem inappropriate for the time.”

The next instant Sawyer was charging up the steps to the stage. “I’m not saying it’s got to be a kiss with tongue, I’m saying you’ve got to look at each other like you’re in love so the audience will want it to work out. Our modern audience.” Sawyer shook his head. “Take it again, from before the proposal.”

It was impossible to concentrate with Sawyer standing right there, so close she could hear every shift of his body and feel his gaze on her like a weight. All her lines were swimming together.

Leo knelt, told her she was an angel. She said her line, trying to peer into his soul like she wanted to be with him, and then Leo kissed her. And it was sloppier than usual.

She did her best to not jerk back, though it was her first instinct.

“Okay, that was just…” Sawyer moved in front of her. He looked at the playbook, then lowered it by his side and stared into her eyes. The air thickened around them and she could feel every thump of her heart. “What a perfect angel you are, Cecily.” He said it so tenderly, his smile close-lipped but full of joy.

“You dear romantic boy,” she said, all out of instinct because thoughts were getting fuzzy.

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft kiss with his lips barely parted. The pressure of his lips increased for a delicious moment, and then they were gone. A quick, simple kiss, but when his mouth left hers, she felt its absence so strongly that she couldn’t think about anything else for a couple seconds. Her breath was stuck somewhere in her lungs and her lips still tingled, living the sensation over and over again. Heat wound through her body, her hands itched to reach out and touch him. And then she remembered she was supposed to. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the whisper of his breath on her wrist as he exhaled.

“Wow, that was good,” Wendy said from the front, breaking Brynn from her trance.

Brynn stepped back and swallowed, but her throat wasn’t working right. Sawyer’s eyes never left hers, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smug, self-satisfied way.

“It was all right, I suppose,” Brynn said, working to keep her voice steady. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “For a first-timer, anyway.”

That only made Sawyer’s smile grow wider.

Brynn couldn’t help but watch Sawyer as he jumped off the stage. Funny how she’d dreamed of kissing him all the time in high school, but her fantasy wasn’t even close to the real thing. Her heart felt like it’d just been wrung out and shoved back in her

And her scene with Leo was better. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she closed her eyes and pretended it was Sawyer kissing her again.